Real Amazon Order Email vs Amazon Phishing
How to distinguish a genuine Amazon order confirmation or security notice from a phishing email designed to steal your account or payment details.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Most order emails in your inbox are genuine, and there are a lot of them: confirmations, dispatch notices, delivery windows, returns updates, subscription renewals. That volume is what makes the fake ones work. A message made to look like the retailer tells you an expensive order has been placed, or that your account is on hold, and you react to it the way you react to the real ones, without much thought, because retailer emails have never needed thought before. The invented order is usually large enough to alarm you and vague enough that you cannot dismiss it from memory. The distinction that matters most is that a genuine account issue is always visible inside your account, so the email itself never has to be trusted at all.
Side-by-side comparison
| Genuine Amazon email | Amazon phishing email | |
|---|---|---|
| Sender domain | Sent from @amazon.com, @amazon.co.uk, or other official regional domains — no extra words or hyphens | Sent from [email protected] or similar — always a different domain |
| Order details | References your real order number, product name, and delivery address abbreviation | Mentions a vague or invented order — 'Your recent purchase of $349.99' — with no specific product or order number |
| Link destination | Links resolve to amazon.com or regional Amazon site | Links resolve to a lookalike domain; the login page captures your credentials |
| Greeting | Addresses you by your registered Amazon account name | Uses a generic greeting such as 'Dear Amazon Customer' or just your email address |
| Action type | Notifies you of an action already completed; does not embed password fields in the email body | Urges you to 'verify', 'unlock', or 'confirm' your account by clicking a button immediately |
| Urgency | Informational; account issues are explained in the account dashboard at your own pace | Claims your account will be locked or an order cancelled unless you click within the hour |
Common red flags
- Sender is not an official Amazon domain
- Order details are vague or do not match any recent purchase
- Generic greeting rather than your name
- Threat to cancel an order or lock your account within hours
- Link URL is not amazon.com or your regional Amazon site
Verification steps
- Go to your Amazon account directly by typing the URL and check Your Orders
- Hover over any link to preview the destination URL before clicking
- Check your Amazon inbox in the official app or website — Amazon copies all genuine emails to Your Messages
- Report suspected phishing by forwarding to [email protected]
What not to do
- Do not click any link in an unexpected Amazon email to 'check' your account
- Do not enter your Amazon password on a page you reached from an email link
- Do not call phone numbers listed in a suspected phishing email
A safe response
Do not use the email to resolve the email. Leave it where it is, open the retailer app or type the address into your browser yourself, and look at your orders and account messages. If the order is not listed there, it does not exist, and nothing is needed beyond deleting the message. Never ring a number printed in an unexpected email. If you have already signed in on a page reached from a link, change your password from a device you trust, enable two-factor authentication, and review saved cards, addresses and recent orders. If you entered card details, ring your bank using the number on the back of the card.
Frequently asked questions
I clicked the link but did not type anything. Am I at risk?
Usually not, if you entered nothing and downloaded nothing. Simply loading a page does not hand over your password. Close the tab and do not go back to it. If a file downloaded, or the page pressed you to install something, run a scan with security software you already trust. As a precaution, change your account password from a device you trust and turn on two-factor authentication, which limits what a stolen password would be worth to anyone.
Why does Amazon send so many emails?
Amazon emails cover orders, deliveries, returns, and account activity. Scammers exploit this volume because recipients are conditioned to expect Amazon emails and may click without verifying.
Does Amazon ever ask for payment details by email?
No. Amazon never sends an email asking you to enter payment card information directly. Any email asking for card details is fraudulent.